Strange Customs with Sasha Sagan

The season 1 finale of Strange Customs brings Sasha Sagan to an extraordinary Chicago exhibition for a conversation with the artist, Dario Robleto. Situated at the intersection of art and science, the show also has its inspiration and roots in Sasha's own family.We'll also hear from Harvard art historian Dr. Jennifer Roberts about the ways art and science share a mission to extend our vision beyond the horizon.

Host Sasha Sagan talks to NYT best-selling novelist KILEY REID (Such a Fun Age) about a tradition that has evolved out of necessity from family and community participation to an economic arrangement with strangers.We'll also hear from sociologist DR. TAMARA MOSE about the roots of the tradition that still echo in unfair practices today.

Sasha Sagan talks with actor-director LILY RABE about a supposedly heartwarming tradition that strikes terror and shame in both their hearts.We'll also hear from DR. ANDREA VOYER, a sociologist and historian of social norms at Stockholm University, about her research using etiquette as a lens on changing societies.

Sasha is joined by science communicator BILL NYE and historian of technology DAVID ROONEY to discuss a concept that measures, slices, defines, and controls our lives more than any other.Bill Nye photo by Neil Grabowsky / Montclair Film under CC-BY 2.0

Sasha Sagan talks with humanist rabbi GREG EPSTEIN about an ancient tradition they both participate in each year, with themes and messages they find both inspiring and abhorrent. How can a thoughtful person engage a tradition shot through with such contradictions?We'll also hear from historian of religion DR. CAROLE CUSACK about how this tradition and others like it connect with the deep cycles of the earth and its creatures.